Middle East

Gaza factions agree to halt rocket fire at Israel

The Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have reportedly agreed to halt rocket fire into Israel، Arab media outlets reported on Tuesday afternoon، though a senior Israeli official denied Israel was involved in any ceasefire negotiations، as Ynet said.Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq insisted، however، that efforts are being made by various Arab states and international organization to put an end to the latest round of hostilities on the southern border، which saw more than 400 rockets fired at Israeli territory."Urgent talks are being held with a large number of Arab and Western countries، as well as with international organizations، to condemn the Zionist escalation and to bring an end to the continued aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip، during which innocent civilians are hurt،” al-Rishq said.An Egyptian delegation will arrive in Israel on Wednesday to discuss efforts to achieve calm on the Gaza border، Russian Sputnik newsMeanwhile، Norway's foreign ministry said it is cooperating with Egypt and the United Nation to achieve calm between Hamas and Israel. Oslo condemned Hamas for launching rockets at Israel، and called on both sides to show restraint. On Tuesday morning، Israel's Security Cabinet met for nearly four hours to discuss the strategy in Gaza going forward.At the same time، the Israel Air Force (IAF) attacked two resistant cells launching rockets at Israel، resulting in a death of one Palestinian، according to Gaza’s health ministry. Since the start of the current escalation، a total of six Palestinians have been killed in IAF strikes in Gaza.In another incident earlier، two Palestinians breached the border fence near the abandoned Karni crossing in northern Gaza. The two men tampered with the fence and fled back to the strip a short time after that.Earlier، the IDF Spokesperson’s Office reported that several high-profile targets belonging to Hamas، including a few multi-story buildings، have been attacked by IAF fighter jets since Monday night in response to the barrage of missiles from the strip.Although a large number of rockets had been intercepted by the Iron Dome system، several of them landed in residential areas resulting in the death of a 40-year-old Palestinian from Hebron after his apartment in Ashkelon sustained a direct hit. In light of the events، Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut short his visit to Kuwait and will return to Ramallah soon.